1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a technique for a maintenance unit to implement maintenance or for a worker to implement a manual task on a print head for ejecting a liquid and recording an image.
2. Background Technology
A well-known image recording device, as with an inkjet printer, forms an image on a recording medium by ejecting a liquid from nozzles on a print head while orienting the print head to face a support member on which the recording medium is being supported. Generally, in such an image recording device, a maintenance unit can be used to implement maintenance, such as for removing a clogging of the nozzles, on the print head. In addition to maintenance by a maintenance unit, a worker will also often be able to implement a manual task on the print head.
More specifically, in the image recording device of Patent Document 1, an inkjet head faces a guide plate and records an image by ejecting an ink onto a recording paper on the guide plate; in turn, the maintenance unit carries out maintenance and a worker carries out a manual task by pulling the inkjet head out to a position not facing the guide plate. That is to say, when the inkjet head is at a position apart from a position facing the guide plate, a state allowing for the maintenance to be implemented comes into effect when the maintenance unit is attached to the inkjet head, and a state allowing for the manual task to be performed comes into effect when the maintenance unit is not attached, which ensures an opening space in a region facing the inkjet head.
In the image recording device of Patent Document 2, image recording involves a head unit facing a drum and ejecting an ink onto a recording medium that is on the drum. Implementing maintenance, in turn, involves adequately separating the head unit from the drum in the radial direction while still maintaining the state where the head unit and drum face each other, and inserting a maintenance unit between the head unit and the drum and therein causing the maintenance unit to face the head unit. Performance of the manual task by the worker involves withdrawing the maintenance unit from the position facing the head unit, and thereafter pulling the head unit out to a position not facing the drum, thereby ensuring an opening space in the region facing the head unit.
Thus, in the image recording devices of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the configurations allow for the adoption of an image recording state in which a print head (inkjet head, head unit) faces a support member (guide plate, drum) on which a recording medium is being supported and records an image, a maintenance state in which the print head faces a maintenance unit and undergoes maintenance, and a manual task state in which an open space is ensured at a facing position of the print head to allow for a manual task to be done.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-142365 (Patent Document 1) and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2011-131435 (Patent Document 2) are examples of the related art.